On Media

Manning switch challenges style editors

By DYLAN BYERS

08/22/2013 11:10 AM EDT

Bradley Manning's announcement that he plans to live as a woman named Chelsea has, in addition to shocking the American public, created a challenge for style editors struggling to determine the appropriate pronoun.

In a statement, Manning asked that "starting today you refer to me by my new name and use the feminine pronoun."

However, initial reports by The Associated Press, Reuters and The New York Times all referred to Manning as a male. The AP did so unapologetically, while Reuters and the Times did their best to minimize use of the pronoun. Their headlines — "WikiLeaker Manning says wants to live as a woman" and "After Sentencing, Manning Says, ‘I Am Female’" — were notably neutered.

This may change should Manning acquire the physical characteristics of a female. Per the AP stylebook, reporters are to use the pronoun "preferred by the individuals who have acquired the physical characteristics of the opposite sex or present themselves in a way that does not correspond with their sex at birth."

On Thursday, an AP spokesperson told POLITICO that the AP would honor the stylebook, suggesting that Manning will start to be referred to as "she" once he begins to present himself as a woman. Anyway, you can see the headache.

We've reached out to representatives at several major news organizations including The New York Times, The Washington Post, NBC News, ABC News, CBS News, CNN, MSNBC and Fox News, as well as our own folks here at POLITICO. We'll update here as we get responses.

The Associated Press:

We'll let the AP Stylebook entry on "transgender" be our guide as this story develops.

transgender Use the pronoun preferred by the individuals who have acquired the physical characteristics of the opposite sex or present themselves in a way that does not correspond with their sex at birth. ... If that preference is not expressed, use the pronoun consistent with the way the individuals live publicly. See transsexual

transsexual A person who changes gender by undergoing surgical procedures. See transgender.

POLITICO's Bill Nichols:

We’re going to stay with “he” until he begins his treatment, per AP style . . but it’s a difficult call and we’ll continue to reassess.

"The Huffington Post ran the Reuters story on Manning's announcement, but editors decided to change the wire copy pronouns from 'he' to 'she.'"

The Washington Post's Emilio Garcia-Ruiz:

We are very sensitive to the issues raised by Manning’s announcement. We are using the pronoun ‘he’ to describe Manning for the time being. This is an ongoing story, and we will reevaluate as it develops further. We based this decision on numerous factors, including that the name Bradley Manning has a strong identification for our readers because he is a very visible public figure.